BEIJING, July 3 (Xinhuanet) -- Chinese Premier Wen
Jiabao has called on government departments to adjust the temperature of air
conditioners in offices higher during summer to set an example for the whole
society in saving energy resources.

"Government organs all over the country should take strict power-saving measures. In summer, the
temperature of air conditioners must not be set at lower than 26 degrees Celsius
in offices and meeting rooms," said Wen at a national teleconference on June 30.

In his speech on building a resources-saving society,
Wen encouraged government officials to wear plain clothes instead of
Western-style suits and neckties to attend internal meetings and other less
important official activities, which is believed favorable to keep air
conditioners from overwork.

Power wasting, such as government buildings with
lights on even in daytime or throughout the night, should be prohibited. Public
servants are required to turn off lights when there is nobody in the office, he
said.

China has sensed the increasing strain on energies,
minerals, water, land and other natural resources, which lay the foundation to
guarantee the sustainable economic and social development.

"We have made tremendous achievements in economic and
social development, but at a high cost of resources and the environment,"Wen
said, adding that China's extensive economic growth mode has resulted in not
only huge waste of resources but also heavy pollution.

The reckless expansion of cities, blind pursuit of
large-emission automobiles capacious residential apartments and luxurious
packages for some products, which are quite common in some cities, have
intensified the conflict between the supply and demand of resources and
environmental pollution.

Currently, China's consumption of energy resources,
raw materials and water for per unit of GDP (gross domestic product) is far
beyond the world's average level.

"This has resulted in a growing dependence on the
import of some important minerals from foreign countries," Wen said.

The central authorities have made it clear that
efforts must be made to build a resources-saving society in China, which calls
for the effective protection and rational utilization of natural resources and
improvement in resources utilization in every aspect of production,
construction, logistics and consumption, so as to produce the maximum economic
and social benefits at the lowest possible cost.

"This (building a resources-saving society) has a
bearing on China's economic and social progress and the prosperity of the
Chinese nation, and is a policy of strategic importance concerning the overall
situation," the premier said.

Wen described China's basic national conditions as a
big population with comparative inadequacy in resources and a weak
supportability of the environment. The population will be growing and the
Chinese people will have less resources to use on average,especially freshwater
and arable land.

So China must quicken the pace in building a
resources-saving society, and this also is the logical requirement for the
national endeavor to follow the scientific concept of development the
Communist Party of China has put forward to direct the country's modernization
drive.

The scientific concept of development asks for
handling well relations among economic development, population growth, resources
utilization and environmental protection.

"While promoting economic growth, we must strengthen
environmental protection and improvement so that our people can drink clean
water, breathe fresh air, have safe food, and work and live in a sound
environment," Wen said.

Accelerating the building of a resources-saving
society serves as an important guarantee for the building of a relatively
affluent society in an all-round way, and is an important measure to ensure
China's economic and national security, he said.

To step up the building of a resources-saving
society, China should follow a new road to industrialization, put equal
importance on the development and conservation of resources while giving
priority to conservation.

"We must center on saving resources and improving the
efficiency in utilization, and focus on the conservation of energy, water, raw
materials and land resources, comprehensive utilization of resources and
development of a recycled economy" so as to make substantial progress and
remarkable achievements in the next two years, said the premier.

This calls for development of oil substitutes and
other energy-saving products; energy conservation in major energy-consuming
industries and enterprises; development of energy-saving vehicles and farm
machinery and give priority to the public communications system in cities;
promotion of energy-saving buildings, household appliances and lighting
fixtures; strict control of the temperature of public cooling systems; and
vigorous development of the rural methane production projects and renewable
energy such as water, wind, solar and biological energy.

The premier also called for the reuse of all sorts of
waste and use less disposable products.

To build a resources-saving society, the government
will strengthen guidance and planning, and new taxation and financial policies
will be worked out to help form a resources-saving mode for production,
consumption and city construction, the premier said, adding that all
resources-wasting acts will be stopped.

The country will also improve the legal system to
facilitate the conservation of resources, and violators will be dealt with
harshly, said the premier, who also governments and officials at all levels to
work hard and cooperate well to accelerate the building of a resources-saving
society. Enditem